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A Chief of The Os^g-es 
BY VERNE DYSON 



THE STORY OF 

MONEGAW 



A CHIEF OF THE OSAGES 





i 



BY VERNE DYSON 



i. w. dumm puhlishixg co. 

Kansas City, Mo. 

1905 



.Oe])8S 




THE VALLrBT OF THE OSAGE 



J2^->'K/f 5 5 



''As a race they have ivithered from the land, 
their arrows are brol-en, their cabins are in the dust. 
Their council fire lias long si)ice gone out on the shore, 
and their war-cry is fast dying away to the untrod- 
den West. Sloivly and sadly they climb the distant 
mountains, and read their doom in the setting sun. They 
are shrinking before the mighty tide that is pressing them 
away ; they must soon hear the roar of the last wave which 
will settle over them forever. Ages hence, the inquisitive 
white man, as he stands by some growing city, will ponder 
on the structure of their disturbed remains, and wonder 
to what manner or persons they belonged. They will liAje 
only in the songs and chronicles of their exterminators. Let 
these be faithftd to their rude virtues as men, and pay due 
tribute to their unhappy fate as a people." 



FOREWORD 

Is it that soniothing of the primeval savagje is still 
so thoroughly inherent in niian's nature that he turns 
with almost avidity to legends of the Indians? True or 
not as this may be. the fact remains that Indian stories- 
have never lost interest for young people, or those of ohh'i- 
growth as well, if they would but admit it. A lad wi'l 
outgrow the dime novel. ])ut after he has come into man's 
estate and after he has learned to read larger and better, 
he will pursue with the same keen interest, graphic talc? 
of the more or less noble red man. 

It seems to make but little difference who the Indian 
or where his tribe set up their village or what special 
symbols were carved on the totem poles which were 
planted in front of their tepees, if it is an Indian story 
it is all as it should be. 

It is this incontrovertible fact which led j\Ir. Verne 
Dyson to weave into a fragmentary tale, some of the in- 
cidents in the stirring life of that great chief of chiefs, 
Monegaw, head of the tribe of the Osages. 

When Mr. Dyson was spending a vacation at the lodge 
of "The Monegaw Club," to which he belongs, he 
made a tour through the country which Monegaw once 
claimed without dispute as his very own. On this trip ho 
was fortunate enough to gather some most valuable in- 
formation anent this most picturesque chief. These stories^ 
and legends have been woven into a booklet which he pre- 
sents with the fervent hope that whatever it may lack in 
gracefulness will be atoned by its absorbing interest. 

Mr. Dyson is a young man — a very young man — 
but he will get over that, and he puts forth this venture 
with some trepidation. He need not, however, be fearful. 
His little book is most attractive. It relates entertain- 
ingly the life story of the great chief and is rich in de- 
scription of that beautiful country which was once the 
land of the Osages. Lillian C. Hutton. 

Kansas City, Missouri, December 1, 1905. 



MONEGAW 

Mouegaw was chief of the Osages. In stateliness of 
form, in conrage, and in the native strength of his mind 
he was well fitted to be the leader of so brave a people. 
He was swiftest in the chase, aronnd eonncil fires t\u 
wisest and in battle the bravest. While he had all the 
vigor and cnnning of his race, he lacked much of its 
ciiielty. Monegaw was severe only with his enemies ; they, 
alone, were the victims of his prowess and strength. When 
the palefaces began to come from the East and settle in the 
valley, it was hinted by his warriors that they should be 
killed lest they become too numerous and frighten away 
the game with the sound of their axes, and lest they should 
build their houses along the most fertile streams and camp 
besides the coolest springs. But Monegaw was the white 
man's friend and he would say, ''The land is plenty and 
the palefaces are few. AA^e cannot eat all the fish that 
swim in the waters of the Osage. We have not enough 
arrows to kill all the deer which live in the valley. Only 
a few palefaces will come. We will not kill them and they 
will be our friends." Thus, ]\Ionegaw would prevail, but 
in the end his kindness called upon him a reproach which 
darkened the last days of his life and brought him in bitter 
sadness to an end, ill-deserved by so brave and renowned 
a chief. 



TRADITIONS OF EARLY YOUTH. 

Tradition has it that Monegaw was born about the 
year 1800. in the valley of the Osage, in a village close 
beside the swift-running Wc.ter. While still a young child 
he attracted unusual attention in his native village and 
soon came under the observation of the prophets of the 
tribe who were wont to whisper strange things concerning 
his future. The old medicine women were attracted to 
him, as well, and he was a frequent subject of conversa- 
tion for these old, leathery-skinned hags as they sat around 
camp fires in the evening, smoking their pipes. While the 
stories concerning ]\Ionegaw were more or less familiar 
throughout the entire tribe, it was these old women who 
cherished them the more fondly and made a business of 
handing them down from one generation to another. They 
would not let these traditions of Monegaw die, and they 
are told, to this day. among the Osage Indians. 

Monegaw first astonished his parents when he was 
less than two years of age. One day his mother was gath- 
ering sticks by the river and the boy, who had learned 
to walk only a few months previous, was following close 
behind. While she was reaching up to break a dead 
branch from a tree, she heard a splash in the river an'l 
looked back just in time to see the child disappear from 
view under the water. When Monegaw came to the surface 
he did not cry out or appear to be the least frightened, 
but began smimming I'apidly toward the center of the 
river. Not being able to swim, the mother dropped her 
armful of sticks and. running to the village a hundred 
yards distant, gave the alarm to a laggard warrior who 
had remained, that afternoon, from the hiuat. When th'* 
brave reached the river bank he beheld the tiny head 
above the water, far out from shore. He sprang in, swim- 
ming with utmost speed. It is said that the child actually 
reached the opposite shore before he was overtaken and, 
in crossing the river, had stemmed a current which was all 
but too much for his pursuer. It might be said that INIone- 
gaw's fame in the tribe dated from this singular occur- 
rence. 




On another occasion the warrioi-s of the village had 
assembled to test their skill in the use of the bow and 
arrow. After one of the contestants had made the trial 
he, for some reason, laid his ])ow and arrows npon the 
ground. No sooner had he done so than young IMonegaw, 
who had been hanging 
back at some distance 
with the women and 
other children, came for- 
ward and picked up the, '^^^iri.-^s; 
bow, placed an arrow in 
the shaft and. apparent- 1" 
\y without taking aim i 
shot and hit the targel 
almost in the center. 

Since Monegaw, so f.ii- 
as was known, had neve 
before had a bow in hi,> 
hand, the outcome of thr 
attempt was looked upon 
as an amusing accident. 
But when the child shot 
some four of five times, 
hitting the mark in each 
case, it was found that Monegaw had. suddenly and with- 
out previous practice, acquired remarkable skill in 
the use of the bow and arrow. Thereupon, the incident of his 
swimming the river was recalled and it was found impos- 
sible to explain these extraordinary achievement otherwise 
than by attributing them to supernatural power. From 
this time on, Monegaw 's singular accomplishments wer^ 
taken as a matter of course. 

There is one more story of ]\Ionegaw's youth which 
might be given ; it is the medicine women 's account of his 
first hunt. Early one morning he slipped away from the 
village, taking with him a bow and one arrow. A few 
hours after his departure he was missed from his mother 'is 
wigwam and upon inquiry it was learned that Monegaw 
had been seen entering the forest alone. The mother, fear- 
ing for her child in a forest inhabited by all manner of 
wild beasts, at once began the search. All day she wan- 
dered alone in the dark, gloomy woods, unarmed and at 
the mercy of prowling beasts. But they were frightened 
away by her strange appearance and unnatural voice. Her 
long hair frequently became entangled in the overhanging 



"all day she wandered aloxc 
in the dark. gloomy woods. '^ 



'branches; her feet were pierced and bleeding with thorns, 
and her rude garb was sadly torn, but all day she kept 
up the seach, crying out at intervals in her weird voice, 
calling ^lonegaw. Late in the afternoon she returned to 
the village, having lost hope. But at nightfall the Indian 
boy was seen emerging from the dark shadows of the for- 
est dragging the skin of a huge bear which he had killed 
wdth his single arrow. 

Monegaw was very brief in his account of the day's 
adventures. While hunting in the forest a short distance 
from the village he had discovered the trail of a bear 
which he took up and followed until the afternoon whe^- 
he came upon the beast as he was gnawing on the bones 
of a carcass in a tangled thicket. Unobserved by the bear, 
the youth crept up within a few feet, shot the arrow deep 
into his side and then fell back and quickly clambered 
into the thick branches of a small tree, without once being 
observed by the animal. The bear, enraged with pain, 
lashed the bushes about in every direction, clawed at the 
arrow in his side and finally died, a victim of his own 
rage. 

There are many such stories of IMonegaw's youth 
wdiich are interesting in themselves, but which are of chief 
importance as the early indications of a career which is 
at once illustrious and sorrowful. 



MONEGAW FINDS 
THE TURKEY FOOT 



MONEGAW FINDS THE TURKEY FOOT. 

During the early part of the century a small party of 
Spanish adventurers left Florida and pushed northward, 
traveling sometimes by stream and sometimes pushing 
overland through unbroken forests. In the course of their 
wanderingsi they emerged, one day, upon a high bluff 
which overlooked the rich valley of the Osage. When they 
gazed upon the bright river, the green lowlands, the dark 
forests, the misty hill country and saw the smoke rising 
from quiet Indian villages, they were constrained to enter 
the land. They had heard that the Indians of the valley were 
friendly toward peaceful travelers; so they journeyed to 
a village and obtained permission to remain, for a season, 
and enjoy the bountiful fishing and hunting of the In- 
dian land. 

On one occasion, two of the Spaniards who were hunt- 
ing along the sides of a rocky bluff, far back from the 
river, succeeded in killing a. large wild cat at the entrance 
of a cave. While they were bending over, examining their 
game, one of the men picked up a peculiar kind of rock 
formation. Upon examination it was found to be heavily 
charged with silver. Further investigation showed that 
much of the same ore was lying scattered about, some of 
the pieces having rolled quite a distance down the moun- 
tain side, indicating that, perhaps, the pieces of ore had 
been scratched out of the cave 'by some wild animal* 

The men were quick to realize that they had happened 
upon a silver mine. They explored the cave and found 
that a rich vein of silver ore was exposed along the entire 
length of one side. The rest of the party were notified of 
the discovery and the chase was given up for the more 
arduous task of mining. With rudely improvised tools, 
the Spaniards succeeded in digging out a large quantity of 
the rich ore and, by means of a roughly constructed 
smelter it was reduced and the silver molded into bars 
and stored in the cave. 

When the Indians noticed that the Spaniards had 
given up hunting and were confining themselves to mys- 
terious operations in the hill country, they at once became 
suspicious and unfriendly in their actions toward the 
strangers. One day a member of the party was killed by 



an Indian lying in ambush. This was sufficient warning 
to leave, and hurried preparations were made for de- 
parture. 

The Spaniards first destroyed the smelter which, as a 
precaution, had been erected back in the hills, some dis- 
tance from the mine. They piled the silver bullion in one 
corner of the cave and then carved an inscription in Span- 
ish upon a stake which was driven in the floor of the 
cave just back of the opening. The mouth of the caveru 
was carefully sealed and on a smooth slab which was 
exposed to the outside, they roughly engraved the char- 
acter of a turkey foot, and left with the expectation of re- 
turning at a more opportune time. 

The adventurers made a hurried escape from the land 
of the Osages and, after months of hardships and travel, 
reached their home country and told of their rich dis- 
covery. 

Early the next spring a large company of Spaniards, 
heavily armed, made their way through the wilderness 
to the head waters of the Osage River. In addition to 
arms and provisions, they carried tools with which to con- 
struct a keel boat from the native timber. It was their 
purpose to load the boat with a large quantity of the sil- 
ver, float down the Osage to the Missouri River, thence to 
the Mississippi and on to the southern coast with their 
rich treasure. 

Considerable time was consumed in building a boat 
large enough to accommodate the party and to carry the 
large cargo of silver. It was, at last, completed and 
chained to the river bank to await the high water which 
would be necessary to float the heavy and unwieldy craft. 
When the melting of the snow and the heavy spring rains 
had swollen the stream, the Spaniards cut loose and started 
down the river to a point opposite the mine. 

The Osages were always accounted a cunning and 
wily people. It was not possible for such operations as 
these to go on, even in the remote borders of their land, 
without discovery. No sooner was the boat set afloat upon 
the river than it was being followed by a large band of 
Indians who were careful to keep themselves concealed 
in the thick timber which skirted the chore. The Osages 
were persuaded that the Spaniards were upon no friendly 
mission and determined to destroy the entire party at the 
first opportunity. The opportunity was not long coming. 



The second day of the voyage a blinding sleet storm 
broke upon the river with a strong wind blowing from the 
north. The hurricane came with such force that it was 
able to offset the onward movement of the boat down 
stream, and for a time it made little or no progress. The 
boat finally reached a bend in the river where it was pro- 
tected from the retarding wind. It was taken up by the 
unusually swift current at this point and swept rapidly 
around the bend. When about one hundred yards from 
the shore it struck a snag and came to a sudden stop. At 
this moment of confusion on board, the Indians rushed 
from under cover and appeared in great numbers on the 
shore. They fired a volley of arrows which went wild on 
account of the terrific wind. Seeing the ineffectiveness 
of this kind of tactics, the Indians threw down their bows 
and arrows and plunged into the river, swimming toward 
the stranded boat. 

The Spaniards at once opened fire with their guns 
and many of the Indians who first entered the river were 
either killed or wounded and their struggling bodies were 
carried down with the current. But the Spaniards found 
themselves engaged in an unecjual conflict; the elements 
had combined with the Indians for their destruction. For 
a time they were able to check the advance of the Indians, 
but the beating rain and sleet soon dampened their guns 
and ammunition so that their firing became ineffective 
and finally ceased. The ill-fated crew were forced to throw 
down their sputtering firearms and defend themselves in a 
hand-to-hand encounter with the Osage warriors who 
plunged into the river far above and floated down with the 
current to the stranded boat. The great number of war- 
riors who swarmed over the sides of the sinking vessel soon 
overpowered the Spanish crew and they fell to the last 
man. Thus, in a single hour, storm and bloody slaughter 
ended their dreams of wealth. 

Young Monegaw was one of those who took a hand in 
the strife and was one of the last to leave the boat before 
it went down. In passing to the edge of the craft to 
clamber over its side, he walked by the prostrate form of 
one of the enemy, whom he supposed to be dead. To his 
surprise, the Spaniard reached out and with both hands 
clasped him tightly about the ankle. Monegaw 's first im- 
pulse was to strike the hands loose with his hatchet, but 
when he looked down and saw the youth of about his own 
age his Indian heart was touched. Monegaw afterwards be 



came noted for his kindness of hpart; he was. now to do his 
first gracious deed. There came upon him the impulse to 
save this dying Spaniard. It was a hard battle for Mone- 
gaw in the cold, muddy waters, but he finally reached the 
shore. 

Back from the river he found a ledge which afforded 
shelter from the rain and sleet. There he gathered a few 
dry leaves and sticks and made a fire. The Spaniard's 
clothes were frozen hard upon his body and his thick curls 
were stiff and flat on his forehead. 

One of these youths was a child of the forest, clad in 
the rough garments of his people ; the other was a child of 
civilization and wore upon his 'body a breastplate, having 
upon it the insignia of nobility. He was a Spanish knight 
who had crossed the ocean in search of fortune. The 
spirit of adventure had seized upon him, a restlessness had 
taken possession of him which books and culture and un- 
eventful travel did not satisfy. ]\Iany have fought the 
wildernesis and won, but more have perished. But in the 
peril and uncertainty, of the contest lies its attractiveness. 
"When there is no actual warfare in which the young ad- 
venturer may engage he will often pit himself against 
the unequal forces of torrent and stream, of mountain 
and forest, and many w^ere the unmarked graves in the 
great American wilderness. This Spanish youth had 
sought and found adventure and now he was dying the 
most lonely of all deaths— death in the wilderness. There 
sat by his death-bed not a parent or a friend, but a kind 
hearted Indian. 

Revived by the warmth of the fire, the Spaniard 
opened his fast-dimming eyes, filled with gratitude, upon 
his unknown friend of the forest. In a few broken words, 
weak and uncertain, he repaid, in the only way possible t-) 
him, the humanity of the Indian youth. 

Monegaw had not done much for the youth; he had 
prolonged life only an hour. But he had saved him from 
death in the rushing flood and would give him a peaceful 
resting place on solid land, Avhile his companions 
had perished in the river where their bodies would ever 
be at the mercy of the fickle, changing waters. This, after 
all, was much for which to be grateful. 

There was 'but one thing the Spaniard could do in 
return for this kindness; he could tell Monegaw a secret 
that would make him rich, and Monegaw was poor. Many 
of the warriors in Monegaw 's tribe were rich in horses, 



but he had, as yet, acquired noue. In the dry dirt under 
the ledge, the Spaniard drew, with trembling fingers, the 
character of a turkey foot and by means of wo^rds'and 
gestures, made I\ronegaw understand that if he would find 
a cave with this character engraved upon a rock at its 
entrance he would have money with which to buy many 
horses. 

The Spaniard was given an Indian burial. In bury- 
ing their dead, it was necessary for the Indians to take 
precaution against the wolves which roamed in great num- 
bers through the valley. These animals would dig up the 
bodies if buried under a mound of earth, without other 
protection. In order to save the dead from desecration, 
it was necessary to make an opening in the ground and 
line bottom and sides with rocks ; the body was then placed 
within and the grave covered over with stout poles, on 
which rocks were piled and these, in turn, covered with 
earth. The youth was given a burial of this kind, though 
it cost Monegaw many hours of hard labor, and that in a 
raging storm. 

For some time after the river battle, Monegaw 's com- 
panions noticed that he spent much time in the solitary 
hunt. One day he left the valley and went toward the 
East and in a few months he returned, driving a large herd 
of horses. Monegaw had found the turkev foot. 




•LITTLE MONEGAM^" CREEK 



INDIAN 
LOVERS 



INDIAN LOVERS. 

It frequently happens that a youth's good fortune is 
speedily followed by his marriage; this was the case with 
young Monegaw. In IMonegaw's day brides were bought 
for a price. The bride herself -could be won, but it took 
horses to satisfy the father. Monegaw had always been 
first among youths in the chase and had showed marked 
bravery in the river battle, the first contest in which he 
had taken part. But up to the time of the finding of the 
turkey foot, his only possessions consisted of his bow and 
arrow and a goodly heritage of bravery and skill. 

There is nothing remarkable or irregular about Mone- 
gaw's wooing; it was strictly in accord with the customs 
regulating such matters which had prevailed from the 
earliest history of his tribe. His wooing is interesting 
simply from the fact that the name "Monegaw," by which 
he is now known, was derived from an incident connected 
with the winning of his 'bride. After this famous occur- 
rence, the name which was given him in childhood was 
forgotten, even by the inhabitants of his native village. 

Monegaw loved Pocahalma, a maiden who lived in 
one of the villages along the banks of the Osage. Her 
father, who had once been a valiant warrior, was now 
an aged man and spent his days in weaving blankets and 
in thinking of a past crowded w'ith war and gallant vic- 
tories. As he sat at the entrance of his wigwam and 
muttering, ill-contented with this woman's work, his 
daughter, Pocahalma, would sit by his side, weaving 
baskets, thinking of the future and of a brave warrior 
of another village, always wondering when the trail of the 
deer would lead him again that way. 

Monegaw first beheld this beautiful maiden one day 
when she was helping an old, trembling woman to the fa- 
mous sulphur springs which now bear his name, that the 
aged creature might drink of the M^aters and 'be healed. 
The youth was first attracted by this tender devotion to 
old age and then fascinated by the personal charms of 
the lovely Indian girl. 

When Monegaw came into the possession of horses 
and wealth he felt that it was time to make known his 
love. One evening he adorned himself in his richest robe 



of bear's hide, and, after the shades of ni^ht had crept 
over the hills and mingled with the mists of the valley, he 
went alone to the verge of the ancient sulphur spring and 
cast into the deep pool some of his most precious trinkets, 
as a votive offering to the god of healing waters. That 
night he slept close beside the spring and early in the 
morning started upon his journey. 

In the course of his day's travels a panther crouched 
in his path. He sent a deadly arrow through its heart 
and the animal was taken with him as an offering to his 
bride. Late in the afternoon he came to Pocahalma's 
dwelling. Her father sat in the entrance weaving blankets 
and she by his side, weaving baskets. When Pocahalma 
saw him coming she sprang up to welcome him and j\Ione- 
gaw laid his offering at her feet. Then she hastened to 
procure food and drink for their guest — fish from the 
river, venison from the forest and clear spring water. 
After the meal Monegaw gathered his robes closely about 
him and sat silent and n^otionless until night came, and 
then went away. Though no words were spoken, his mis- 
sion was well understood. 

In a few days he returned and again was welcomed. 
This time he found that the maiden had placed a seat for 
him close beside her own ; this was evidence that his atten- 
tions were received with favor. After while Pocahalma 
came with her baskets and sat by his side and silently 
worked until nightfall and then she put aside her weav- 
ing and, in silence, the two lovers listened to the swift- 
running waters, saw the fireflies flitting among the trees 
and heard the night wind among the branches. To these 
Indian lovers the music of wind and waters was the only 
melody known. Nature played for her children her own 
love serenade and whispered to them in a language which 
they could well understand. 

When the moon had gone down behind the hill and 
a great, dark shadow had crept across the river Monegaw 
arose and left Pocahalma's dwelling. The next day he 
came and arranged with the old blanket maker what price 
should be paid for his daughter. Monegaw willingly 
agreed to give, in payment for his bride, one hundred of 
the best and swiftest horses of his herd. This was a most 
unusual price, as the ordinary number was from twenty 
to fifty, according to the wealth and ardor of the suitor. 
When Monegaw came with the horses he brought other 
gifts also — many bright colored beads, long strings of the 



teeth of the wild animals he had slain, many other trinkets 
and much silver. All these gifts he gave in exchange for 
Pocahalma, a most unusual offering. From this event the 
young warrior became known as "^lonegaw" which, be- 
ing interpreted, means ' ' owner of much money. ' ' 




THE OSAGE OF TODAY 



MONEGAW 
AS CHIEF 



MONEGAW AS CHIEF. 

The Osages were the most powerful and warlike of 
all the southern Sioux, and they were hostile to all other 
Indians, including the Kansas tri'be which spoke a dialed 
similar to their own. The Osages had engaged in many 
bloody battles, but of these the one with the Pawnees was 
the most memorable. These powerful tribes met in com- 
bat upon the banks of the Osage River. Ail day long their 
fierce war-cry echoed through the valley. The rich, red 
blood of the fighters was mingled with the clear waters 
of the river and at nightfall a thousand brave warriors 
had been slain. The fight was not resumed the next morn- 
ing for the Pawnees had been defeated and many of their 
braves called home to Tirawa, the Great Spirit. 

Monegaw was the hero of this famous battle ; many 
warriors fell at his hands. From that day his name be- 
came known throughout the Indian land and in less than 
a year he was made chief of the Osages. He was the hero 
of many sn'bsequent battles; never before had the Osages 
been led by so brave a chief. 

While Monegaw was the dreaded enemy of all the 
Indians of the neighboring tribes, he was regarded as a 
friend by the white settlers who came into the Indian 
country. Monegaw was perfectly willing for them to live 
in the valley since they were always ready to acknowledge 
him as ruler of the land. They came in such small num- 
bers, at first, that he could find no reason for not permit- 
ting them to settle in a region which had game enough 
for all. 

Monegaw 's friendship for the palefaces was not 
shared by all the other members of his tribe. Many of 
the warriors looked with suspicion upon the coming of the 
white man. But the fact that their great chief was friend- 
ly toward the newcomers was enough to silence their dis- 
content, for a while, at least. 

By reason of his kindly disposition, Monegaw was 
always a welcome guest at the white man's cabin. He 
frequently ate at their tables and would exchange stories 
with them around their camp fires and talk with their 
women and children, telling them of wild animals he had 
slain and of battles he had fought and won. 




WHERE MONEGAW AND HIS BRAVES ONCE HUNTED THE 
RUNNNING DEER. 



Monegaw had never been hostile to the whites, but it 
is said that his actual friendship dated from a visit which 
he made to the "Good Father" at Washington, shortly 
after he became chief of the Osages. When one of the 
settlers told ^Monegaw of their great chief who lived in 
a beautiful white city far away toward the rising sun, 
the Indian brave was seized with a desire to visit the ruler 
of the palefaces. He left the valley of the Osage with 
a select band of warriors and traveled eastward until he 
came to the land of the palefaces. Tradition says that 
JMonegaw was received with great honor by the white chief 
and treated not as a subject but as a fellow ruler. It was 
mutually agreed that the chiefs would defend each other's 
subjects and ^lonegaw returned to his people, carrying 
with him the memory of a royal welcome. For many years 
^Honegaw was true to the agreement. 

An incident is related in connection with iMonegaw's 
meeting with one of the officials at the capitol. This man 
was an invalid, small in stature and sickly in appearance. 
Having expressed admiration for the chief's heroic size 
and rustic health, he inquired as to the secret of his un- 
common strength and vigor. Monegaw replied : 

"You go with Chief Monegaw to the land of the 
Osages. You follow the deer all day through the valley, swim 
in the clear waters of the river and at night drink the 
medicine waters of the 'Great Spring' and you soon be 
big like Chief IMonegaw. " 

Tradition says that the invalid actually returned with 
jMonegaw and remained a year in the valley as a guest of 
the tribe and finally returned to his native land, having 
gained much in stature and in strength. 

As years went by Monegaw 's fame increased in the 
land. So many victories were gained over enemies that 
the Osages were now accounted first in war. But in the 
midst of honor and achievement there came a time when 
IMonegaw 's life was troubled. Not that his people were 
untrue : not that battles had been lost : not that honor was 
denied him. The soul of the great chief was disturbed 
by the ever increasing tide which was sweeping into the 
Indian land from the East. Each year the white men 
came in larger numbers. They were frightening away the 
game ; all day he could hear the sound of their axes. They 
were taking the richest land : their boats were thick upon 
the river. Not onlv did thev build homes in the forest and 



along the streams, but they were l)iiilding a village and a 
fort. Monegaw was wise enough to know what it all 
meant. 

The discontent among his people had grown beyond 
his control. His warriors had long been clamoring for a 
raid; at last he consented. Monegaw had always been the 
white man 's friend ; it was a sad day when he was forced 
to look upon him as his enemy. During ]\Ionegaw's time 
the Osage warriors had discarded their bows and arrows 
for the white man's more deadly gun. Their own secret 
lead mines supplied them with bullets. Preparatory to the 
great raid Monegaw 's men went into the hill country and 
brought much lead ore to their smelter which was largely 
of nature's own making. 

The process of reducing the ore was in keeping witli 
the inide life they lived and with the type of civilization 
they represented. In a secret ravine they discovered an 
immense oak tree which was hollow for its entire length ; 
this was the Indian smelter. About twenty feet from the 
ground limbs jutted out 
in three directions. 
Branches were cut and 
placed across these out- 
spreading arms so as to 
form a substantial plat- 
form. Just above the f 
platform the Indians cut 
an opening which com- 
municated with the hoi 
low interior. By means 
of ropes made of twisted 
strands of buffalo hides, 
the bags of ore were lift- 
ed from the ponies' backs 
to the platform above. 
The ore, together with 
layers of dry wood, was 
placed in the hollow until 
it was completely filled. 
The mass was then set on 
fire from an opening made near the ground and allowed 
to burn. By this process the lead was melted from th.^ 
ore and ran down in the ashes at the foot of the tree. After 
cooling it was taken out and molded into the bullets which 
were to bring death to the white man. 




THE INDIAN SMELTER. 



Monegaw's raid broke like a storm upon the valley of 
the Osage. The Indians were determined that every white 
man and every white man's house must go, and as they 
swept down the valley thoy killed and burned. Monegaw, 
the kind hearted chief, was of the past ; in a day his nature 
reverted to the savage and blood-thirsty instincts of a 
naturally cruel and revengeful people. There was noth- 
ing to check the wild destruction of Monegaw's men until 
they reached the fort which, as the stronghold of the pale- 
faces, was their especial object of fury. After the Indians 
had been unsuccessful in a well-planned night attack, they 
made a furious assault upon the fort in the day time. But 
when they charged the stockades they were slaughtered in 
great numbers l3y a deadly fire from the block houses. 
Having given up the attack on the fort, ]\Ionegaw and the 
remnant of his band gave themselves up to devastating the 
surrounding country. 

Rumors of the Indian uprising quickly spread through 
the country, and Captain Read was ordered by the com- 
mander of the fort at Independence, Missouri, which wa^ 
then a French trading post, to hasten to the Osage 
country with a large company of soldiers to quell the out 
break. 

After a hurried march through an unbroken and 
pathless region, the soldiers emerged upon the Osage River 
at the place where the town of Warsaw now stands. The 
next morning they took up the Indian trail, leading west- 
ward up the Osage valley. The scouts soon located a band 
of Indians driving a large herd of horses. In order to 
avoid an ambush the soldiers wer3 compelled to move for- 
ward in a cautious manner. Not being able to overtake 
the Indians that day they camped for the night. They 
took up the trail early the next morning and about noon 
came upon the spot where the Indians had camped the 
previous night. The Indians retreated up the valley to 
their village, near what are now known as the ^Monegaw 
Springs, where they took a stand. When the soldiers ar- 
rived a fierce battle was fought, in which the superior 
numbers and equipment of the soldiers made victory over 
the Indians practically easy, even though they fought with 
the greatest bravery. 

This was Monegaw's first and last defeat. When the 
most of his warriors had been slain he, with the small 
remnant of his brave band, fled to the wooded hill. The 
soldiers took captive the squaws and children, burned all 



the wigwams, and sent out a party in search of the chief 
and his followers. No trace of them could be found ; they 
had gone to a safe retreat. 




MOXEGAWS DEATH CHAMBER 




"BIG MONEGAW CREEK 



VENGEANCE 
CROWNS DEATH 



VENGEANCE CROWNS DEATH. 

On the north side of the Osage River a bold and 
rugged bluff extends from the "Little Monegaw" to the 
"Big Monegaw" creek, a distance of two miles. This 
vast rock wall rises, in places, to a height of one thousand 
feet above the water. At times, the bluff projects far out 
over the river, casting a dark and ominous shadow half 
way across the stream. This precipice, for its entire length, 
is crowned with a forest whose thick trees grow out to its 
very edge. The cliff is honeycombed with caves, dark 
caverns and gloomy places of retreat. 

One of these caves, the largest in the region, had long 
been the favorite haunt of the Indians, and the number 
and variety of the inscriptions would indicate that their 
visits had been frequent aud prolonged. Large, deep fur- 
rows in th€; soft sandstone at the mouth of the cave show 
where the warriors were accumtomed to whet their spikes 
and arrow heads. Just inside of the cave, on the right 
hand, were to be seen three warriors, decked with war 
paint and feathers, and above and around them were 
many inscriptions and characters. In other parts of the 
cave there were representations of warriors grappling with 
'bears and other wild beasts. There were also turtles aud 
fish of different sizes and shapes : warriors swimming in 
the river; some leading ponies and others carrying bows 
and arrows. In the background was a lone warrior, 
wrapped in a blanket : this inscription is supposed to have 
been engraved by Monegaw, himself, and to be representa- 
tive of his own death. 

After the defeat ^Monegaw and his men fled to the 
timber and were soon lost to view and, being more fa- 
miliar with the topography of the country than the sol- 
diers, they w^ere soon able to outstrip their pursuers. After 
having made a circuit through the woods they followed a 
deep, rocky ravine to the base of the cliff and then made 
their way to the cave where they wer^ sure of safety. It 
was their purpose to remain in the cave until night, then 
ascend to the river and swim to the opposite shore. They 
determined upon this plan in a council, held in the dark- 
ness of a remote corner of the cave. Tliere was no light 
save the light which Avas flashed from the eves of these 



hunted warriors who, like wild animals at bay, were calm 
and restrained, yet, at times, gave evidence of the fierce 
burning of an inward and not altogether controllable 
passion, 

Monegaw had not presided over such a council before 
and never before had he been reproached by a common 
warrior of the tribe as now. In these caustic words did a 
brave scourge his chief: 

"Monegaw, our campfires have gone our on the shore. 
Our villages have passed away. Our women and children 
we will see no more. Our hoz'ses are lost in the woods. 
Our streams and hunting grounds have been taken by the 
palefaces you loved. You said only a few would come 
from the East, but now the,y are thicker than the leaves 
of the forest." 

After a long silence Monegaw replied: 

"The hunting ground of our fathers is no longer ours 
and Monegaw is to blame. I thought the palefaces were 
good— I could not see their hearts. You must leave for 
the land of the setting sun. Go, but Monegaw is your 
chief no longer. Here by the waters of the Osage he will 
die and return to the Great Spirit." Thus spoke Mone- 
gaw, greatest and best of the Osages. 

Finally the darkness which crept over the valley came 
in and joined with the darkness of the cave. Then without 
a sign, without a word, Monegaw 's men left him, a poor 
miserable band, without villages, w'ithout hunting ground, 
without leader or chief. At a signal from one of their 
scouts they rushed wildly down the mountain side to the 
river, plunged in and swam to the opposite shore. 

To the common warriors of the tribe such defeat was 
bitter humiliation. Monegaw felt all that his men had 
felt and much more ; to his humiliation had been added 
the sting of reproach and this was more than his proud 
spirit could stand. 

All that night and the next day Monegaw remained 
in the cave. At sundown he came to the entrance and 
looked out over the valley. He saw the bright running 
river; he remem'bered his mother's wigwam by the shore, 
he remembered the village of Pacahalma. Where were his 
children ? Had they been taken by the white men he had 
loved ? Far away he saw smoke rising from an open space 
in the woods; he knew that it was not the smoke of In- 
dian campfires. When darkness came and covered the 
valley, Monegaw returned to his lonely corner. 



According to tradition Monegaw remained for five 
days in the cave without food or drink. Each evening he 
came out at sundown to view the valley; each 
evening his thoughts were the same. Starvation was 
fast making a wreck of this proud Indian chief. 
The sixth day when he came from the cave at sun- 
down he felt as if his strength had returned and instead of 
standing at the entrance, as on previous evenings, he came 
out and scaled the rocks to the summit of the precipice, fa- 
above. He had not been so active since his youth. When 
he reached the top of the cliff he raised up to the full 
stature of his height, shaded his eyes with his hands, and 
viewed the river, the valley and the far distant hills. Mone- 
gaw was looking for the last time upon the valley. Upon 
this lofty height he stood as motionless as a tree until dark- 
ness crept over the land of the Osages. He had returned 
only a short distance toward the cave when his unnatural 
strength failed him and he fell upon the hard, jagged 
rocks. When he had painfully crawled and felt his way 
back to the cave, he dragged himself to the corner where 
he was accustomed to lie. 

Just how Monegaw passed his last hours is. of course, 
uncertain, but an imaginative tradition has it that hi' 
eventful life was ended in the following manner: 

After he returned to the cave he seated himself for 
rest and leaned his head against the hard rock. Sud- 
denly he became conscious of a light and opened his 
eyes. There before him was a face, a "pale face," a face 
white as milk. As he looked upon the hated features, wild 
revenge seized upon him and he could feel strength re- 
turning Avith the rushing of his savage blood. He felt 
about in the darkness, found his tomahawk and arose to 
his feet. The "pale face" was now before him. He raised 
the weapon,high above his head, gave a wild, frenzied cry 
and, with all of his strength, struck at the phantom. Such 
was the^force of the blow that his body was carried for- 
ward to its full length and' the tomahawk struck with 
awful force on the rock floor of the cave. He raised 
his head and looked; the light was gone. Then he gave 
*^ an exultant cry of joy for he had killed the "pale face." 

His head fell forward with his face on the hard stone. 
Monegaw, chief of the Osages, was dead. 



